Rolling resistance ratings and tire wear
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: Nevada County, California
Posts: 781
Bikes: Subject to change at any given moment but currently is...... Colnago Mapei, Colnago C40, Wilier Triestina Carbon, Wilier Triestina Ramato, Follis 472, Peugeot PX60, Razesa, Orbea Terra, Soma Pescadero and 1/2 owner of a Santana tandem.
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 322 Post(s)
Liked 775 Times
in
261 Posts
Rolling resistance ratings and tire wear
I’m curious if there are any opinions/experience here concerning how tire wear effects rolling resistance?
As my tires develop flat areas over time, I can’t help but think that it must have at least some level of increased resistance?
Although they may still be safe to ride perhaps they become “performance compromised”?
As my tires develop flat areas over time, I can’t help but think that it must have at least some level of increased resistance?
Although they may still be safe to ride perhaps they become “performance compromised”?
Likes For SpedFast:
#3
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: TC, MN
Posts: 39,505
Bikes: R3 Disc, Haanjo
Mentioned: 353 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 20791 Post(s)
Liked 9,436 Times
in
4,663 Posts
As the casing gets thinner, it's more likely to be more supple and roll better, rather than worse.
Likes For WhyFi:
#5
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Valley Forge: Birthplace of Freedom
Posts: 1,298
Bikes: Novara Safari, CAAD9, WABI Classic, WABI Thunder
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 364 Post(s)
Liked 456 Times
in
239 Posts
Check out the bicyclerollingresistance.com series on GP5000S for a good demonstration of rolling resistance as tires wear.
Last edited by stevel610; 06-22-22 at 10:01 AM.
Likes For stevel610:
#6
Grupetto Bob
Join Date: Sep 2020
Location: Seattle-ish
Posts: 6,067
Bikes: Bikey McBike Face
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2512 Post(s)
Liked 5,430 Times
in
2,827 Posts
Am curious about the flat areas? I take it you are not skidding the rear tire so is it due to unequal material on your tires wearing faster? What brand and type of tires? Very perplexing since I have ridden for decades on all sorts of rubber and never seen this.
__________________
Road 🚴🏾♂️ & Mountain 🚵🏾♂️
Road 🚴🏾♂️ & Mountain 🚵🏾♂️
#7
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 7,768
Mentioned: 37 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6882 Post(s)
Liked 10,875 Times
in
4,639 Posts
#8
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: TC, MN
Posts: 39,505
Bikes: R3 Disc, Haanjo
Mentioned: 353 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 20791 Post(s)
Liked 9,436 Times
in
4,663 Posts
I assume that he's talking about the squaring off of the rear tire profile.
Likes For WhyFi:
#9
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2022
Location: USA - Southwest PA
Posts: 2,981
Bikes: Cannondale - Gary Fisher - Giant - Litespeed - Schwinn Paramount - Schwinn (lugged steel) - Trek OCLV
Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1360 Post(s)
Liked 1,805 Times
in
1,038 Posts
if I recall correctly - rolling resistance increases as the tire wears - but at a certain (later) point the resistance will begin to decrease (but not to the level of a new tire)
#10
working on my sandal tan
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: CID
Posts: 22,625
Bikes: 1991 Bianchi Eros, 1964 Armstrong, 1988 Diamondback Ascent, 1988 Bianchi Premio, 1987 Bianchi Sport SX, 1980s Raleigh mixte (hers), All-City Space Horse (hers)
Mentioned: 98 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3868 Post(s)
Liked 2,560 Times
in
1,574 Posts
I have been idly curious about that, since a person running their tire pressure higher to try to get lower rolling resistance will get more squaring off of the tread. How does that affect the rolling resistance versus a tire that has worn down more evenly thanks to lower pressures...
#11
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 12,830
Bikes: (2) ti TiCycles, 2007 w/ triple and 2011 fixed, 1979 Peter Mooney, ~1983 Trek 420 now fixed and ~1973 Raleigh Carlton Competition gravel grinder
Mentioned: 128 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4746 Post(s)
Liked 3,861 Times
in
2,510 Posts
Likes For 79pmooney:
#12
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: Nevada County, California
Posts: 781
Bikes: Subject to change at any given moment but currently is...... Colnago Mapei, Colnago C40, Wilier Triestina Carbon, Wilier Triestina Ramato, Follis 472, Peugeot PX60, Razesa, Orbea Terra, Soma Pescadero and 1/2 owner of a Santana tandem.
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 322 Post(s)
Liked 775 Times
in
261 Posts
#13
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: Nevada County, California
Posts: 781
Bikes: Subject to change at any given moment but currently is...... Colnago Mapei, Colnago C40, Wilier Triestina Carbon, Wilier Triestina Ramato, Follis 472, Peugeot PX60, Razesa, Orbea Terra, Soma Pescadero and 1/2 owner of a Santana tandem.
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 322 Post(s)
Liked 775 Times
in
261 Posts
#14
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: Nevada County, California
Posts: 781
Bikes: Subject to change at any given moment but currently is...... Colnago Mapei, Colnago C40, Wilier Triestina Carbon, Wilier Triestina Ramato, Follis 472, Peugeot PX60, Razesa, Orbea Terra, Soma Pescadero and 1/2 owner of a Santana tandem.
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 322 Post(s)
Liked 775 Times
in
261 Posts
#15
Grupetto Bob
Join Date: Sep 2020
Location: Seattle-ish
Posts: 6,067
Bikes: Bikey McBike Face
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2512 Post(s)
Liked 5,430 Times
in
2,827 Posts
#16
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 962
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 497 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 622 Times
in
346 Posts
This is correct. Less tread rubber to deflect means lower hysteresis losses. It sometimes amazes me how people tend to draw the exact opposite conclusion of what the data show, and what logic dictates.
#17
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2022
Location: USA - Southwest PA
Posts: 2,981
Bikes: Cannondale - Gary Fisher - Giant - Litespeed - Schwinn Paramount - Schwinn (lugged steel) - Trek OCLV
Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1360 Post(s)
Liked 1,805 Times
in
1,038 Posts
Likes For t2p:
#18
Banned.
Before I had this truly crap cheap Wanda king tires. But the walls are so thin it actually had much lower rolling resistance than my current Gravelking plus tires!! I can cruise a couple mph faster on it but flats so frequently I had to let it go. The walls felt like paper, crazy thin, while the gravelking plus felt like thick leader hide.
#20
Perceptual Dullard
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 2,395
Mentioned: 36 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 900 Post(s)
Liked 1,122 Times
in
482 Posts
Tests by Al Morrison and Tom Anhalt show that brand new out-of-the-box tires have slightly higher Crr than a tire that's been run for 40 or 50 km, but that over time Crr slightly increases. The casing doesn't usually get thinner: the tread compound does. The bottom line is that when racing, we often "break-in" new tires for 40 or 50 km. Some of the lowest Crr racing tires are pretty fragile with very thin treads, so if you use them too much you'll flat during a race and the rolling resistance goes way way up.
#21
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: San Leandro
Posts: 2,900
Bikes: Eddy Merckx Corsa Extra, Basso Loto, Pinarello Stelvio, Redline Cyclocross
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 336 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times
in
1 Post
The Vittoria Corsa's I had showed a very weird wear pattern. They didn't wear the outside longitudinal line tread but the tread thickness of the tire grew quite thin before the tread started wearing. For a long while I thought that the tread wasn't going to wear and then suddenly it wore down very rapidly.
#22
working on my sandal tan
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: CID
Posts: 22,625
Bikes: 1991 Bianchi Eros, 1964 Armstrong, 1988 Diamondback Ascent, 1988 Bianchi Premio, 1987 Bianchi Sport SX, 1980s Raleigh mixte (hers), All-City Space Horse (hers)
Mentioned: 98 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3868 Post(s)
Liked 2,560 Times
in
1,574 Posts
I wonder if the initial higher RR has to do with the tire taking a slightly different shape when inflated on a rim than it had in the mold, and then break-in is the casing having loosened up a bit to assume the correct shape. The tread theoretically ought to become more flexible as it gets thinner, but it must depend on whether it gets harder first... my takeaway is that you are probably best served with the thinnest tread you can get away with, especially if you take a lot of calendar time to wear tires out (like I do.)
__________________
RUSA #7498
Originally Posted by noglider
People in this forum are not typical.
Last edited by ThermionicScott; 06-27-22 at 03:00 PM.
#23
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 962
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 497 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 622 Times
in
346 Posts
Before I had this truly crap cheap Wanda king tires. But the walls are so thin it actually had much lower rolling resistance than my current Gravelking plus tires!! I can cruise a couple mph faster on it but flats so frequently I had to let it go. The walls felt like paper, crazy thin, while the gravelking plus felt like thick leader hide.
The initial increase in CRR for new tires could well be that once the tire is out in the real world, there is additional stiffening of the tread rubber due to oxidation.